Photo by Sabrina Pankratz Shane Citterman, right, along with another competitor, take part in the Polish Sausage Eating Contest Saturday.

IVANHOE — Sibling rivalry is what fed Shane Citterman’s need to win the Polish Sausage Eating Contest at the Ivanhoe Polska Kielbasa Days — a new event that brought an enthusiastic crowd.

“This is my first competitive win, he (Walker) beat me last time,” said Citterman, winner of Polish Sausage Eating Contest.

Citterman’s brother, Walker Citterman, came in a close second, but Citterman beat him with a two minute and 38 second time.

“It was good, five isn’t a whole lot but when you’re going for speed it can be tricky,” Citterman said.

Haley Panka, organizer of the event said contestants had eat five traditional polish sausages as fast as they could and were allowed to ketchup, mustard, or sauerkraut if they wish.

“It’s not like a traditional hot dog contest where it’s eating how many you can eat,” Panka said.

“We like to try new stuff, it brings a different crowd and I think trying new things at Polish Days keeps the excitement for the weekend,” Panka said.

Panka said another new event was the Diaper Race Baby Race, which had six contestants Saturday morning.

“There was one very clear winner, I didn’t catch her name, but that was cute,” Panka said.

Panka said she started helping with the planning because she enjoys planning events.

“I don’t say I’m the most organized person, but I like planning events,” Panka said.

Panka said there are four people who help facilitate the events including herself, her husband, Emily Citterman and Shannon Sorensen.

“We all love Polish Days, so we try to keep it fun for all ages and keep it affordable for everybody to come here and have a good weekend,” Panka said.

Many people from Ivanhoe come back to town for the celebration. John Thomsen came back to Ivanhoe from Marshall with his wife, Kristy, and three kids, Eden, Jett, and Kroy.

“I like the camaraderie of people coming back to the town to visit with people you maybe don’t see but once a year. Friends and family come from a long ways just to catch up for a weekend,” Thomsen said.

He said his cousin, came back from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to partake in the weekend events.

“He used to live here in Ivanhoe so kind of special time for him to come back and catch up with a lot of people all in one place,” Thomsen said.

“The kids’ activities are pretty cool to take part in and just all and all its a lot of different things going on that make it fun and exciting for all age groups,” Thomsen said.